Topic: Highly charged atmospheric conditions.

[Mike]

To quote Shaun from the Oct 10 '07 NSW/QLD severe storm event thread:

"the atmosphere was so highly charged at that point that when I lifted my small nylon umbrella to face hight and open it, bright, 1inch blue static/plasma bolts would emminate and buzz from the metal tips of the outer edge and remain there for the duration, only to weaken once I moved my hand towards them but return to full strength after I took my hand away! We've never had that happen or seen anything like it before, it was strange and amazing to see! I will definitely try to photograph it if I see it happen again!"

I've never seen this personally, but other members like Shaun may have experienced it.  It's so interesting that I've started this thread to get comments on similar experiences from others.  Perhaps Shaun could add some further comments re this what he saw?

[David Brodrick]

Was your hair standing on end as well Shaun?

I remember seeing a photo (in the Guiness Book of Records IIRC) of some tourists on a lookout in the USA, who were posing in front of the camera with their hair standing on end from the static electricity. The caption said that minutes later half a dozen people were killed at that spot by a lightning strike :-(

In any case I'm pleased you didn't experience anything like that!!

[Mike]

Strewth, David!  Hence the reason I asked re step leaders!  I was under the impression that when you get highly charged air around you with those exact signs, it's a sure sign of an imminent strike near you or on you - maybe Shaun was extremely fortunate that a connection was not found for whatever reason and he may have been struck.  Sounds very much like you were indeed a target Shaun and got away with it!

Here's a step leader off this chaser's bonnet!!!!

 Photo credit to Chris Collura at www.sky-chaser.com

[Richary]

My only experience was years ago at Coraki on the NSW North Coast. I used to be into shortwave radio and had a long (100m) wire up as an antenna. A storm knocked it down one night so the next afternoon when I got back from school (told you it was years ago ) I climbed the ladder to put it back up. At the time there was a storm about 20km west of us.

As I brought the broken part of the wire back towards the other bit a 1 inch spark jumped between the two. At that point I decided to leave it for the next day instead.

On a different topic I did see one storm from there that hit the hill over the valley. After the strike it left a ball of "lightning" on top of the hill that lasted about 3 seconds before disappearing. The hill was about 1.5km from me.

[Shaun Galman]

Hi guys

Mike I'll try and explain it as best I can for you! Russ was standing 10feet behind me and he could see it plain as day also! Here's how it went-
Around 9:30pm we were sitting on the top of a man made hill (in pitch black other than the distant lightning show) that is around 35feet higher than the surrounding plains to our NE watching the storms firing to our north when a few minor drops of rain fell so I thought I'd cover up my camera (that was not in use), I opened up my small umbrella and it started to crackle, I saw huge static/plasma filaments jumping across the nylon canopy then they focused in the centre around the shaft for about 4seconds jumping in a clockwise motion, these were about 4inches long. Once they had stopped I heard a weird buzzing that was very loud even though the easterly wind was quite strong, then I noticed the filaments emanating from the 8 small metal arm tips that support the nylon canopy, these were bright blue and about an inch long and stayed the entire length of time I held the umbrella in the air, at about head height (6feet), Russ could see these from 10feet away also as I mentioned above. I thought it was "experiment time" so I reached out to touch them but they faded once my hand came within 5 or 6 inches only to appear again at full strength as I moved my hand away. I couldn't feel anything through the shaft as I was holding a wooden handle and no, my hair wasn't standing on end that I know of, it's very short lol? The umbrella was sitting on the ground prior to the activity so it had been well earthed.

Russ was just saying that he was amazed by the large filaments that were cracking around the centre of the steel shaft! We were just saying that we should've tried to photograph it when it happened, looking back now, I don't know why we didn't, but oh well?

If we were in a storm not only would I not have a steel umbrella with me but I would hit the ground pretty darn quick if I heard any buzzing, saw filaments or positive streamers in my vicinity!

Cheers guys, a bit weird but interesting none-the-less? I'll be purchasing a plastic umbrella in the future lol!
Shauno   

[Mike]

Perhaps you'll have to try the unintentional experiment again - then again  best not to flaunt with danger!  Thanks for the comments don't know whether it's just a massive build up of static and the man-made material of the umbrella or what - puzzling!

[Shaun Galman]

Not sure weather or not to try again either? Like you say, best not to push it! We just heard the mother of all powerline buzzes, prior to a crawler ripping overhead in the first large storm this arvo! We didn't hang around! I'll post some shots in the other correct thread.
Cheers.
Shauno

[Harley Pearman]

My experience

Just before lightning strikes an object you hear a loud clicking sound similar to a click or a helium balloon popping. I have heard that noise only twice. On both occasions, a cloud to ground strike has occurred instantly after very close. The last time was from the January 23 2005 morning storm in western Sydney. I heard that noise and a cloud to ground strike occurred 9 metres away from me. Besides the noise which was stupendous in itself, I was close enough to the shockwave that I lost my footing and hit the wall behind me. I was blown back against the wall by it. Have to be very careful.

As for a charged atmosphere, stand near powerlines when storms are close and you will often hear buzzing sounds particularly when rainfall has occurred. I have seen lightning hit powerlines and the charge surges along it often blowing out transformers along the way and it is quite interesting to watch what it does. You have surges, green coloured explosions particularly near transformers, stepped leader strikes and buzzing sounds. It is not wise to be underneath them or near them when storms are around.

Harley Pearman



 

[Shaun Galman]

Hi Harley

(I'll describe it in a little bit more detail than the post above)
We did experience the Jacob's Ladder type "buzzing" of powerlines with Thursday's (11.10.07) weak HP storm. Russ (my chase partner) was sitting 10feet in front of the lines, fairly exposed, and I was around 30feet or so in front of them (in a 3foot deep water drain). The rain core and the active cloud base were 3-4klms away as we heard it. A second or so after the sound emitted from the lines, an enormous crawler shot overhead but didn't ground as far as I could tell? (thank goodness!!!) We did vacate the area pretty quick after that! Thats the first time I've ever heard it but from the footage I've seen of a similar situation we knew to move fast! (you can just see the culprit lines in one of the "dust storm" photos on the NSW/QLD storm thread for that date)

Mike: I will post a shot here of the umbrella I used as soon as I can even though the wooden handle has broken off it now unfortunately?
Cheers guys.
Shauno

[Shaun Galman]

Hi guys,
I have a shot (taken by Russ as my camera isn't ISO efficient enough for distant storms) to demonstrate the relative distance of the storms. This was taken at the time and location where the umbrella was showing charged atmospheric characteristics. (I'll have to check with Russ, but I'm sure this was a 30sec. exposure)


During this storm we also noticed that a roll cloud was present (just visible to the left where the CG are "yellowish" and numerous) and I would have loved to have been somewhat closer to capture it as we don't see those too much out this way?
Cheers guys.
Shauno

[Mike]

Strewth, that amount of lightning in a 30 second exposure is just plain scarey. No wonder things were 'alive' around you.  Not sure how you could see a roll cloud in there though?  Roll clouds are detached from the parent cloud - could you elaborate on that a bit Shauno??

Mike

[Datazoid]

(I'll have to check with Russ, but I'm sure this was a 30sec. exposure)

Strewth, that amount of lightning in a 30 second exposure is just plain scarey.

I'm afraid it wasn't a 30 second exposure, it's actually 15 shots from a half hour period layered together. Sorry to disappoint. 

[Mike]

Thanks for clearing that confusion up Datazoid.  I think that would have been something to see if it was .   Nice collection of strikes either way and the amount of lightning strikes that I've seen from your photographs over the last few months has been most enjoyable to view.

Mike

[Shaun Galman]

Hi Mike,

Ahh, seems Russ has cleared up the exposure issues (I wasn't to sure what he was using as far as exposure) I didn't even bother taking shots as I knew he would've been using a way higher ISO than I have, just too distant for my Nikon unfortunately lol?

Sure no probs with the elaboration on the roll cloud though:)
If you look closely at the left hand side of the photo just where the bolts are distant and "yellow/orange-ish" you will see the roll cloud (about 3mm from the blackness of the horizon) going through the bolts, even hiding a couple in the centre of the orange section. This was clearly visible to us while we were there. It also seems faintly apparent on the left hand side of the rain core in this shot? 
I would have loved to have been closer to this storm line which was 50k's or so North of us (hitting the Hebel area). It was definitely a very active region all day long with 4 large cells passing by, this one was the last.

Cheers,
Shauno 

[Mike]

Yeah it's still hard to see - could be my old eyes - I was just curious, but I'm quite happy to take your word for it since you were there and I was not!  I'm probably thinking too far along the lines of roll clouds being dissipated over that time span of half an hour with that much going on during the TS's phase.